Shadows of the Past (18 page)

Fallon
was busting a gut. “Good, but she still wants to apologize. She’ll feel better. Trust me.”

“Fine,” Amethyst snarled, thinking of ways to get back at Fallon.

“Dacia wants to talk to you? She’s at your place?” he whispered in her ear. All of his flesh pressed against her, caging her in with his body. It felt so damned good she whimpered.

“I’m sorry
, Amethyst. I don’t know what came over me. Can I heal what I did?” Dacia’s voice grated on her and she tried to push back to make Hayden move away, but pulled her tight against him.

“No, I’m fine.
Really.” She gasped because Hayden rolled his hips into her, pressing his erection between her cheeks, sliding against her slick heat. She made a strangled needy sound that she couldn’t hold back.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dacia snarled.

Talk about justice. “You sort of pushed Hayden and I together. So I expect this apology to be short lived.” Then he reached around to pinch her clit. She sucked in a breath. “I don’t think he wants me on the phone anymore. Let me talk to Fallon.”

“I’m here. She’s pissed,” Fallon said but then laughed some more because Amethyst was about to come and she wasn’t quiet about it.
“Right. Talk to you tomorrow.” The phone went dead and she dropped it on the floor in time for Hayden to bring her hips up and take her from behind.

He was so big and in charge just then, and she just went with it
because he was so good at that, and she couldn’t do anything but feel.

“I’ll make sure she doesn’
t come at you again,” he promised as he thrust into her body. “But I am not letting you leave without a really damned good reason.”

“Not going anywhere,” she cried out because yet another climax slammed into her. He was going to kill her if he kept that up, but she would die oh so happy.

Her name left his lips on an exhale as he came, throwing her right off the edge with him.

Preston sat on the edge of the bed as he watched Jamie sleep.
He couldn’t, his whole chest ached. He no longer knew where they stood.

Is
she right? Am I in love with Amethyst?

Sure
, he’d always had a soft spot for her. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for her, but that was because he cared about her.

He cared about Jamie
, too. In fact, he knew he was falling for her.

That was why he felt like such a prick. He watched as sweet, gentle Amethyst chose a big brute of a warrior
, and it tore him apart. She chose Hayden’s help over his.

A tear slid down his face and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.
In that moment, when she turned to Hayden, he realized he wanted her, all of her. That yes, he was head over heels in love with Amethyst because she had stolen his heart from the very beginning.

I’m such a fucking
skeev.
He’d spent so long denying any inkling of desire that he wrote off the possibility of Amethyst being his long ago.

He’d seen her with boys who he knew wouldn’t last. Preston could handle that. Watching her choose a man, one that was her own kind, that solidified his reality. He was too late
, especially when he could sense the way their magic mingled, changing their essence. A bond was forming, one he couldn’t compete with.

Jamie reached for him, and he curled around her, needing her warmth. After last night, he knew they were coming to an end. She would wait to end things when it wouldn’t hurt so
badly, but it was going to hurt regardless, and it was his fault.

“
Shh,” she murmured. “You have me now.”

For now,
he thought to himself. He’d seen the realization in her eyes last night. She knew and she needed to be first place in his heart. He wasn’t sure she could be.

“Hey, stop that, Preston,” she kissed him softly. “Let’s
worry about right now.”

“Okay, babe.”

She threw her leg over his waist to straddle him. “Things will work out.” And maybe that was hope he heard in her tone.

He closed his eyes as she took his mouth in a kiss.

*
* * *

His head still throbbed, but sounds were coming back to him. The howl of a wolf, the hoot of an owl, and a single car on the road.
The road?

Zack
was slumped in his car where he’d left his host’s body. He remembered starting trouble with Amethyst. He may have even pushed that too far. He couldn’t have her die, not yet. He needed her heart’s blood to complete the ritual to give him new life.

He sat up slowly and clamped his hand to his head. The body wanted to shut down. He might have a few days before he needed to find a new host. This wou
ld have to do for now.

At least he was still on a power high. He’d caused so much anger, jealousy
, and hate that fed into the chaos brewing in Edenton. It strengthened him, building his powers.

He relaxed into the cushion and breathed deep. He could feel the soothing presence of a nymph.
Another nymph. No, this one wasn’t Amethyst. This one was related, but she wasn’t as strong.

Now she might make a good host.
How much fear could he glean from his beautiful little prey? How much pain could he inflict before she broke?

Fighting past his power hang
over, he climbed out of the car and started down the road to where he felt the pull.

* * * *

“Love, I’ll be fine. I need to check on our girl,” Opal told Gabe through the phone. Granted, she should have warned him she was going. He would have come with her. She just couldn’t wait.

Gabe sighed.
“You heard what Paavo and Mathis said. It’s Izackarus. He’s coming for Amethyst. From what you all told me, I wouldn’t doubt if he uses you to get to her.”

“Ah, yes, well I can take care of myself. Maybe I can rid all the realms of the scum on
ce and for all.” It was what she hoped, but the truth of the matter was she didn’t have her mother’s strength. Amethyst had potential, but she was so afraid of herself that Opal wasn’t sure it was enough.

“Baby, she can take care of herself. She
’s proved that.”

Opal started to pace. “She’s so broken over
Carl that she left home. She ran away, Gabe. She ran to Fallon.” So, maybe she was a little jealous that her own daughter went to her friend instead of her mother.

Gabe gently told her,
“And if Amethyst can’t handle whatever is coming, she has Fallon, who can. Preston’s there as well. There are other people who will see that she is safe.”

“She’s my baby. I pushed her to
o hard, and now I need to protect her. Just let me do what I need to.”

“I am,” Gabe answered, before letting out a heavy
breath. “I wish you had brought me. I wish you would wait for me to come to you. I don’t want you facing this Shadow alone.”

She felt the darkness creeping in but she didn’t w
ant to worry Gabe. It was only four in the morning. There was nothing he could do from their home on the San Francisco coast.

Opal pulled
her small handgun from her boot and moved to the door. “I love you, you know that. I needed to do this for Ame. Come when you can.”

“
I started driving the moment I realized you weren’t home. I’m only a couple hours out. Please stay out of trouble until I make it there.”

“Yes, dear.
Safe travels.” She hung up before he could reply and flicked the safety off.

The door flew open and Opal fired three times as a
shadow infused Carl fell back against the wall clutching his chest. The blood that flowed from his altered body was mixed with black sludge. The shadowy essence swirled toward her.

Izackarus’
voice rang through her head. “I’ll use you to destroy your own flesh and blood. It will be the perfect revenge for what your family has done.

Remembering the ancient words her mother taught her, Opal cast the spell to shield herself from the Shadows bonds.

Her phone rang, and her concentration slipped. It was only long enough to let a small tendril of Izackarus’ consciousness in. She screamed at the top of her lungs before slamming her defenses down around her. He couldn’t take hold if she wasn’t conscious.

It was a gamble Opal was willing to take. She could put herself into a deep sleep that would prevent him from using her. She just hoped someone found her before
Izackarus could do too much damage.

* * * *

Clint was on his morning run through the forest. Slater had increased the patrols since Hayden informed him that there was some weird ass fae trying to stir up trouble.

It was a good morning to
burn off some steam in the cool air. He was too wound up after everything that had happened at the bar to get any sleep.

Something bad had been rubbing everyone the wrong way for days. Some of the most peaceful people were starting fights and throwing fits.

He still didn’t understand why anyone would be after Amethyst. She was a woman he would change his ways for, if she were interested. Even still, he liked their easy conversations and her sunny personality.

The
sound of gunfire snapped him back into focus. He ran in the direction of the sound. He came out of the forest just behind the hotel, down the road from In 2 Deep.

He began the
shift to half-beast as he rounded the corner and skidded to a stop in his tracks. Zack was holding his stomach together as he took the gun from the ground.

There was a woman crumpled on the
floor, she was covered in blood and… ink? The blood was enough to send him into action. He hurtled toward Zack and shoved both clawed hands into his chest. The sound of tearing flesh and muscle collided with shattering bones.

The punk screamed as he raised the gun
. He managed to shoot Clint in the chest which landed him on his ass. Zack turned, and stumbled across the parking lot and into the road.

There was a phone on the
bed. He crawled to get it and quickly dialed 911 as he watched Darla step from her Prius and move to the kid.

“Darla, don’t
,” he yelled as the phone rang.

She glanced over at Clint with wide eyes as Zack wrapped a hand around her ankle. The black inky
stuff spread and split off into tendrils that wrapped around Darla as she clawed at the substance, trying to tear it away.

Zack went limp as h
is body deflated. The color bleached from his hair and his skin paled to a deathly whitish blue. Darla cried out as the black wound around her and sank into her skin. Her brown hair darkened to black and her warm eyes grew cold and midnight dark, even her skin took on a darker tone.

The operator was on the phone and Clint managed to get the address out and that there had been a shooting before the world went black.

* * * *

Zack stumbled away in a plain woman’s body. He walked into the forest as he heard sirens come alive around him. He was so tired. The
human woman was ready to pass out from exhaustion.

He infused some residual energy from
the pain and fear into her limbs and pushed forward until he found himself at an old woodshed. He stumbled inside and fell, letting sleep take him.

Hayden woke up with Amethyst still in his arms, her leg hanging off the bed with his leg pressed up between her thighs, and one hand
cupped over her breast. She fit against him as if she was made for him. They were still at the end of the bed without any covers. He glanced back at the clock and grinned because it was only seven.

“
Mmm, good morning Hayden,” she purred and moved herself against his thigh as a shiver traveled down her spine. “You feel so good, but I really should go talk to Fallon.”

“One more time before I walk you back over there?” he whispered in her ear.

“How can a girl refuse?” She giggled and pushed until he rolled onto his back. She climbed into his lap, but this time she took it so excruciatingly slow, looking down into his eyes as she built the climax up slow and luxurious.

“You’re a goddess, Amethyst. I’m not sure I can live without this
.” It was the honest truth.

She
wet her lips as a slight frown marred her face but she didn’t stop, just rode the pleasure until it broke over her, and her head fell back. They finished together. Before he could open his eyes, she was off the bed.

He found her tying her dress closed as she s
lipped her heels back on.

“Where are you going?” he asked softly, but he saw fear
in her sparkling eyes. He felt like an asshole, but he wasn’t quite sure why.

“Just need to think. Stay
. I need to go let Fallon know I’m okay. I’ll see you later.” She backed toward the door.

“Did I do something wrong?”
he called, but she shook her head and just about ran out of the house. She left and he felt so alone again, after being connected all night. Then it dawned on him. He just basically said he couldn’t live without her. It probably scared the daylights out of her after everything that happened with Carl.

Fuck, he needed
to figure out how to fix things so he called Brody.

* * * *

Hayden couldn’t live without her? Amethyst was freaking out. She ran back to her apartment and took a quick shower. They had made love four, no five times since he brought her back and healed her. Oh wow, she couldn’t even remember how many times he’d made her come because she lost track.

Too fast, if it was just the sex, then fine, but she felt
their connection somewhere along the way. She already missed him more than she ever thought possible, but she refused to go back over there. She needed to calm down and think.

He
didn’t mean that.

Right?

There was a knock on her door as she pulled her clothes on. She frowned when she threw it open and didn’t find Hayden standing right there. Then she shook her head, yanked Fallon into the apartment and slammed the door.

One scarlet brow quirked up
. “You okay? You look frazzled.”

“Uh
, no. He said he couldn’t live without me, and I may be overreacting, but holy crap, it seems deep and I don’t know if I can swim.”

Fallon
grinned. “You’re a water nymph, you can swim anything, but I get what you mean. It’s really fast, and you’re really scared. And was he really fucking you while you were on the phone?”

“
Um,” she blushed. “No, just foreplay once Dacia came on, but we had seriously just finished making love, and as soon as you were off the phone he was in me again, and oh jeez, he is incredible, and huge, oh wow huge, but so good.”

Fallon
’s eyes nearly rolled out of her head they were so wide. “Breathe Amethyst, breathe,” she teased.

Amethyst did her best to
draw air into her lungs, but it wasn’t helping. She was going to hyperventilate. “What do I do? He probably thinks I hate him, and I don’t, I just freaked, and ran out of there. But we had sex five times, I don’t even know how many times I came, because he was really good at everything, and wow, I need to shut up.” Her hands flew to cover her face.

“Yeah, let’s go get something to eat.” Fallon
pulled her toward the door. “Just you and me down at the bar. Jess and Jamie were worried about you, but after Dacia went back to drink herself into a stupor after that phone call, they figured you were all right.”

“
Really?” Amethyst frowned. “Jess probably saw some of the oh-wow-athon.”

Fallon couldn
’t stop laughing as they went down to the car. Once they were buckled in and on the road, Fallon said, “We had all begun to think he was gay. Then you sweep into town, and it was all about you. Of course he was going to fuck your brains out, but he wants more than that.”

“That’s the part that scares me, and it might be my fa
ult, because he was spying on me, but I was getting off on it,” she slapped her hand over her mouth. “Crap, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No
, wait… what?” Fallon gasped, “At the lake?”

Amethyst nodded slowly, dreading what she might have to do to stop Fallon from killing Hayden
. “Uh yeah,” she squeaked. “It kind of reminded me of that Halestorm song, I Get Off, but that’s why I was out there… getting myself off yesterday. I could feel his eyes on me, and I couldn’t help it. He didn’t know I knew, and it made me feel really incredibly sexy, and so I did it to tease him… because yum. And then last night, I told him I knew and things sort of exploded all over the place.” She knew she wore a stupid grin by the time they pulled into the parking lot.

Fallon
shook her head but didn’t judge. “Breathe, keep it down just a bit. Let’s try not to scare Lincoln. Poor guy always shows up for the best parts of the conversation and he is such a prude.”

Amethyst giggled, because Lincoln was cute in a very boyish way, and Fallon was right.
“I think I got it all out. I’m not freaking so bad. I should probably call Hayden though.”

“Honey, listen to me. Don’t call just yet. You’re still talking about a million miles an hour.” Fallon sighed
. “I don’t remember you ever being this worked up, but Jamie is going to love it. I can’t wait to see her face, because it’s all over you. You’re still glowing, and it’s a little eerie, but norms shouldn’t even notice.”

She patted her pockets and
frowned, because she didn’t have her phone. “I can’t call him anyway. I left my phone there, on the floor, after I dropped it last night.”

“Why did you drop it?”
She raised one brow.

“He pulled my hips up and drove it home like we could become one, and I think we sort of did for a while.” Amethyst blushed
. “I’m sorry, I must be putting you in TMI overload but I can’t seem to shut up.” And then her eyes went wide and she smacked at Fallon. “You knew that.”

Fallon grinned. “Sorry, it’s just kind of fun to watch you freak out.”

Amethyst’s mouth popped open as she blinked at Fallon.

“It’s okay.
” Fallon giggled. “I’ve been there, maybe not quite to this degree, but I get it.” Fallon squeezed her hand, “I had a feeling he was watching you yesterday afternoon. You looked too embarrassed for that not to be the case. It’s not like I haven’t caught you skinny dipping before.” Though, Fallon had never caught her giving herself pleasure.

“I know
I’m a freak. I would have killed anyone else, I would have. We just have this connection, and I couldn’t stop myself.”

“You aren’t a freak. And there are worse things to get off on. It’s been kind of fun to watch you two build this f
riendship with minimal flirting and know you both wanted a piece of the other. Brody and I were like that.”

It was Amethyst
’s turn to raise an eyebrow, Fallon shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah, he kept pushing the line, and feeling like a dick for it because I had literally just left Isaac.” She shuddered and Amethyst squeezed her hand back. “Anyway, Brody was trying to behave, and he was, but things just went there after I had a good scare from a very bad vampire.”

“Sorry
,” Amethyst climbed out of the car and frowned, “for the scare part, but you two worked out so well, that you can’t complain too much about how it all turned out.”

“I know. I’m lucky, and he is amazing. I think that once you settle down, you’ll figure out that Hayden might just be good for you, and you did call
it with Sheriff Eyeball.”

“It’s so hot when he watches.” Amethyst bit her lip and closed her eyes.

Fallon shook her head in amusement. “Though I swear, Brody would have known if he was snooping around on us while we were in the lake.” She winked. “He wasn’t, either.”

“Good. Uh
, can I use your phone for a second? I should at least apologize for freaking out.”

Fallon grinned.
“Invite the men down. Hayden showed up on my doorstep, shortly after Brody saw you racing up your stairs this morning.”

Amethyst blushed
. “Is Brody giving him advice?” Fallon nodded as she handed her the phone and went inside.

* * * *

Hayden sat in Brody’s kitchen. They listened as the car drove away and then Brody looked at Hayden. “So, tell me what the hell happened. Why do you look like you fucked something up?” Brody was tense, probably worrying about the way Amethyst streaked up to her apartment.

“I think I scared her off.” Hayden
slumped onto a chair and dropped his head to his hands “I mean, everything was great. Amethyst is amazing, and seriously inventive. No one in five hundred years has even compared.”

Brody shook his head
. “Really dude, I don’t need to know it all. Fallon thinks of her as a little sister, so I do too. Let’s keep the details to a minimum please.”

Hayden nodded
. “Sorry. So I woke up just before she did. She made love to me. It was mind-blowing, until I told her I couldn’t live without that. I guess it sounded like I was professing my undying love. She’s so young, and it obviously scared her.”

“You are how old exactly?” Brody raised an eyebrow.

“Five hundred and some change.”

Brody just stared at him with wide eyes.

Hayden added, “Neither of us will age. It’s really not that bad. If she were eighteen it might give me pause but as a faerie she was considered an adult the moment she went through her Awakening, which usually happens around fifteen, give or take a couple of years.”

“Awakening?”

“Most fae only have limited access to their gifts until they have their first sexual release with another fae.”

Closing his eyes, Brody muttered, “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“That’s just the way it is for us.”

Brody nodded, but brought the conversation back around.
“So, how did it get from you taking her to help heal her, to the sex? Or is this going to creep me out?”

“Know much about nymphs or sirens?”

“One turns scaly in the water, the other doesn’t? They both have similar powers, but nymphs don’t have glamour. That’s why her hair is purple and she can’t change it.”

“Yeah, well you know how they heal?”

Brody shook his head.

“When I heal, it’s just laying my hand on the wound and concentrating
. I’m not real gifted there so I can help with minor wounds. Most nymphs are healers and can take certain emotions and channel it into healing. Sometimes they take a shared intimate act and use the energy to heal themself and others. However, she healed my ear as she pierced it without any… sexual anything.”

Hayden
paused for a moment, thinking that through. “Hmm, that was minor but maybe her gift is healing, at least healing other people. She couldn’t do that for her burns or her ribs. She needed what I felt and her own desire.”

Something his father wrote in his journal came back to him. The shadows needed the blood of a pure nymph healer as a catalyst
to materialize their solid form permanently. He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay seated. Running off to find her would only scare her and they hadn’t found Izackarus yet. There were still other things the Shadow needed first.

Brody cleared his throat.
“So, who healed Amethyst?”

“I started, but it was worse than I thought. Dacia broke several of her ribs,
and there was worse internal damage. I wanted to do it faster, and told her, but she was nervous. She doesn’t trust her abilities, but she was raised mostly human. Her brother doesn’t have that problem, but I’ve known Paavo for centuries.”

“Okay.
I’ve heard a little about their healing abilities.” Brody winced. “I’m fine with the notion as long as I don’t have to imagine how they healed Fallon.”

Hayden grimaced. He could just imagine having to hear about someone else helping Amethyst the way he did, and
he knew he wouldn’t take that well. “Sorry. Didn’t know about that.”

“
It’s in the past.” Brody shrugged. “So what happened with Amethyst?”

“
Don’t hate me.” Hayden sighed and prepared for the worst possible reaction. “I’ve caught her swimming nude the last few days. I meant to tell her, but she’s just enthralling, and I stopped to watch.”